The last Gazette issue of the year has finally hit stands. Its soft grey pages have been coated in warm ink, bundled tightly into packages and dropped at our various stands around campus and the city.
It’s an important issue for us. As a staff we always think about how our last issue will sit on stands for the whole summer, staring down the passersby as they lurk to and fro.
So perhaps it seems peculiar to end a year of such excitement with a spirituality issue. It may be that it’s our own way of giving an ode to the many pleas to God that will inevitably occur on the eve of so many exams. Or perhaps we thought it fitting, as so many individuals use the summer to pilgrim to the many corners of the world to ‘find themselves’ or find solitude in the unique clarity that can only be achieved on a cool summer’s eve beside the lake.
We each have our own rituals, be they spiritual—a prayer or meditation—or habitual—a walk in the woods to find our inner peace, or a yoga session to ease into the day.
After a year of such excitement it just seems fitting to cap things off with a time of reflection and thanks.
This year, I had the good fortune of using this almost-weekly editorial as my own personal writing therapy; much to the dismay of my friends and family I’m sure, whose anecdotal presence will forever remain documented in the Gazette archives.
And so with this last small chunk of space on the inside cover that I will be granted as editor, I can’t help but reflect a little on our year here in room 312 nestled on the third floor of the SUB.
This year we’ve done our best to remain faithful to our student voice, to provide an open forum for issues on campus and within the city. From the women’s hockey hazing scandal covered by our diligent sports team (Ian Froese, Graeme Benjamin) to a thorough analysis of the Campus Master Plan crafted by our own news editors (Daniel Boltinsky, Calum Agnew), we’ve looked at the issues through our own ever-critical lens.
Our team of always avant-garde arts editors (Andrew Mills, Meagan Deuling) and our colourful creative editor (Ben Gallagher) have kept our pages rich with texture while our opinions editor (Sam Elmsley) remained vigilant to make our student voice heard.
And then the person without whom this paper would be an endless series of corrections is almost too valuable for words, our exceptional copy editor—and really just mentor for everyone—Torey Ellis.
It’s a damn lucky journalist who gets to work with these incredible individuals.
This year more than ever we’ve tried to make the paper as interactive and accessible as possible. The forever changing layout of both the print edition and website is proof that our online team (Ethan Calof, Joelline Girouard) and art director (Jonathan Rotsztain) are constantly perfecting their crafts and our covers and photos are the brainchild of our cherished ‘Mr. Perfectionist’ photo editor (Chris Parent).
But of course none of this could be possible without the complete dedication of our business and advertising team (Pau Balite, Aaron Merchant) who have worked every corner of this city to keep our little paper not only afloat, but thriving.
So as our staff head out into the ‘real world’ once again, I feel completely confident that we will return re-energized and refocused in the more-than-capable hands of incoming editor-in-chief Ian Froese next fall.
It is with the fondest of farewells that I finally peel my fingers away from my laptop keyboard to avoid this inevitable gushing.
Thank you for the letters, the ideas, the support and most of all the criticism, when we needed it. If you’re ever in need of a new Monday night ritual, we wholeheartedly welcome you to our contributors meetings with a warm slice of pizza and a story just for you.
It’s been an honour and an experience I won’t soon forget.
Cheers!
Katrina Pyne
Editor-in-chief 2012-13
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